Fish-line holder.



E. B. SGHMUCKER. FISH LINE. HOLDER. APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30, 1910.

COLUMIIA PLANQQRAPH cg, WASHINGTON, D.

Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

EDWIN B. SGI-IMUGKER, 0F NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

FISH-LINE HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 30, 1910.

Patented Feb. 6,1912.

Serial No. 594,860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEDWIN B. SoHMUoKnR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia,have invented new and useful Improvements in Fish-Line Holders, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in holders for fishing lines andis directed for use in connection with that class of fishing tackleknown as hand lines.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a holdingdevice for fishing lines which is extremely simple in construction,which can be manufactured at a low cost, and whereby the line may bereadily unwound from the holder through the medium of a swingingmovement of the said holder so that the necessity of rotating the handaround the holder as is now the common practice is entirely obviated.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription progresses, the invention resides in the novel constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a deviceconstructed in accordance with the present invention and showing themanner in which the cord is unwound from the holder. Fig. 2 is a similarview illustrating the manner of retaining the cord upon the holder aftera certain length of the said cord has been unwound. Fig. 3 is a detailview illustrating one manner of sustaining the finger clasp atrightangles to the holder proper. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modified formof the holder.

Ordinarily, holders for hand lines are constructed of a single piece offlattened rectangular material, preferably wood. The upper and lowertransverse edges of the material are rounded from their longitudinaledges toward their centers to form What may be termed scalloped edges,the same being adapted to receive the strands of the cord. With thisarrangement one end of the line is connected with the body of the holderin any desired manner, and when the end of the line provided with thesinker and hooks is to be unwound, the rectangular holder is retained inan immovable position by one hand of the operator while the other handof the operator is employed to grasp the free end of the line and unwindthe line from between the scalloped ends of the holder. This arrangementis not only tedious, but frequently results in the line becomingtangled. In other instances fishermen have been known to allow theholder containing the line to drop within the bottom of the boat andgrasp the line and raise the same hand over hand until a sufficientamount of line has been removed from the holder. It is obvious that withthis operation the holder is caused to bob up and down in the bottom ofthe boat and as fisher boats almost invariably contain a certain amountof water, the portion of the line not released from the holder becomeswet as well as the holder. As heretofore stated the holder is in mostinstances constructed of wood and it will be apparent that the life ofthe holder, after being subjected to moisture and contacting the bottomof the boat, is greatly shortened.

It is the purpose of the present invention to obviate the differencesabove enumerated and in the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1designates a line holder constructed in accordance with the presentinvention. This line holder 1 may be formed of any suitable material,wood being preferred and the said holder is provided adjacent one of itslongitudinal edges with oppositely disposed horns 2, the latter beingformed by cutting away the transverse edges of the rectangular stripforming the body to provide parabolically curved edges. The horns 2 formcomparatively straight surfaces while the remainder of the curved edgesare inclined gracefully toward the opposite longitudinal edge of theholder 1.

The central portion of the holder is provided with a pair of spacedopenings 3, whereby the end of the cord or line i is connected with theholder 1. The holder is member 7 forming the finger hold of the de- 7hold.

vice; U-shaped formation in the devices illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3of the drawings,

the said member having its opposite and outer side faces serrated orroughened as indicated by the numeral 8 and whereby'the thumb andforefinger of one hand of the op.- erator may firmly engage the saidfinger From the above description it will be readily noted that when thefinger hold. is grasped by the thumb and forefinger of the operator andthe free end of the cord is grasped by the other hand of the operatorthe cord will easily glide from the inclined transverse edges of themember 1. causing the same to rock upon the pivot 6, the finger holdbeing retained in a stationary posit-ion. By this method it will benoted that the cord may easily and quickly unwind from the holderlwithout danger of tangling the line orinjuring the holder.

The holderl is provided with a comparatively enlarged opening 9, thesame being arranged preferably adjacent one of the horns 2, and thisopening is adapted to serve as an eye through which a looped portion ofthe line may be fed, after the said line has been drawn from the holdera sufficient length to meet the depth of the water of the fishinggrounds, and the said loop is passed or hooked over one of the to therectangular body 1 horns 2, thus effectively sustaining the line againstfurther unwinding.

' In order to prot'ectthe side of the holder which contacts the U-shapedfinger member when the line isbeing unwound from the said holder, I haveprovided the longitudinal edge thus contacted, wit-h a pair of buffermembers 10, the salne being constructed preferably of rubber or someother suitable resilient material, and whereby one of the said bufferswill, in a way, serve to assist in forcing the holder toward theopposite buffer.

In Fig. 3I have illustrated the pintle for the holder surrounded by ahelical spring 11, the same having its opposite convolutions bent inopposite directions and adapted to have their extremities offset andengage the opposite edges of the finger hold. By this arrangement thefinger hold is sustained at a substantially right angle and it will benoted that when the body is caused to swing upon its pivot, when theline is unwound, the spring exerting pressure in opposite di- The member.7 is of a cross sectionalrections materially assists in the saidunwinding of the line.

In Fig. 4 I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the fingerhold. This finger hold, which is designated by the numeral 12, has itsopposite arms 13 pivotally connected with the holder 1. The member 12'is constructed of a single piece of suitable material and the arms 13are spaced away from each other a distance approximately equaling thethickness of the holder 1. The upper or connecting portion of the armsis of a substantially U-shape, so that a single finger of the operatormay be positioned within the said ring 15 and the holder swung upon itspivot to unwind the cord in a manner similar to that heretofore setforth.

From the above description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings.

the advantages of the device as well as the simplicity of theconstruction will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art towhich the invention appertains, and while I have illustrated anddescribed the preferred embodiment of the device as it now appears tome, changes in the minor details of construction within the scope of theappended claims may be resorted to if desired.

It is to be understood that while I have described and illustrated thedevice in connection with a fish line holder, the same may be employedwith equal efficiency for sustaining ribbons, laces and the like, inwhich instance the holder may be constructed of cardboard or otherinexpensive material.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. Aline receiving holder comprising a flat substantially rectangularmember, a pivoted holder for the member and said member adapted tooscillate upon its holder when the line is withdrawn from the holder.

2. A reel having a pivoted holder, a line,

for the holder, and the said holder being so positioned and pivoted uponthe reel as to permit of oscillatory movement thereof when the line isbeing. Withdrawn from the holder.

3. A reel comprising a flattened member having its opposite edgesscalloped to provide horns, a line upon the holder, a substantiallyU-shaped finger hold pivotally connected with the opposite faces of theholder, and said finger hold being so arranged as to permit ofoscillatory movement of the reel when the line has unwound therefrom.

4. A holder having its opposite transverse edges incut to provideoppositely arranged horns, a 'line upon the reel, a finger-holdpivotally connected with the reel adjacent one side thereof, a springmember connected With the finger hold and adapted to nor- In testimonywhereof I affix my signature mally sustain the said finger hold at asubin presence of two Witnesses. stantially right angle to the edge ofthe reel adjacent its pivotal connection therewith, EDWIN SCHMUOKER' andsaid finger hold adapted to permit of Witnesses:

oscillatory movement of the reel When the JOSEPH BILY, Jr.,

line is unwound. J OHN C. WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

